As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the Windsor Essex County Health Unit wants to make sure that people, especially children, are being kept up to date when it comes to vaccines.
Speaking on Monday morning, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Wajid Ahmed says the health unit has received various communications from people concerned that they or their children haven't been able to keep up to date.
“Obviously there were many healthcare providers whose services were not open," he says. "So we are starting this initiative working with our community providers to make sure that some of these measures are in place to provide the vaccines.”
Dr. Ahmed says this is something he wants to highlight because vaccines are a proven and safe way to prevent serious infections.
“While there is not yet a vaccine for COVID-19, there are many vaccines available to protect you and those around you from other important infectious diseases," he says.
Dr. Ahmed goes on to say that it’s important to keep up to date because some of the illnesses that can occur without proper vaccination can be more deadly than COVID-19.
“Most of these vaccines are part of routine immunization for children and are a priority. Any omission or delay in scheduled vaccines can put your child at risk for common and serious childhood infections such as pneumococcal disease, measles, mumps, rubella and pertussis.”
On Monday morning, the WECHU reported nine new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 1,023. Two of the new cases are healthcare workers, two of them are workers in the agri-farm sector, two are in the community and three are still under investigation.
No additional deaths have been reported in the past 24-hours, for a total of 67.
Drive-Thru testing will resume Tuesday in LaSalle at Vollmer Complex from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and again on Wednesday in Lakeshore and Thursday in Leamington.